1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to an intracavitary ultrasound scanner means comprising an examination head with an interior which contains an ultrasound transducer and the ultrasound transducer is rotatable around an axis and is driven with a drive shaft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ultrasound scanning means of the said species described in (Ultrasound in Med. and Biol., Vol. 5, Pages 129-138, "A High-Resolution Transrectal Ultrasonography System") and are commercially available. They usually contain a single, mechanically moved ultrasound transducer which is either oscillated back and forth or rotated. Body cavities such as, for example, the rectum or the vagina, are examined with such scanner means. It is desired that the examination head be built as small as possible given high performance capability.
According to FIGS. 2 and 3 of German Published application 36 18 082, an ultrasound transducer at the end of the measuring head arrangement is mounted in a rotational fashion on a shaft in an ultrasound measuring head arrangement for medical diagnostics, the shaft extending perpendicularly to a drive shaft. The drive of the transducer occurs with a bevel gear. However, a second ultrasound transducer with which observation in a second plane of section is possible is not provided therein. Further, the measuring head arrangement shown therein is not suitable for intracavitary examinations because of its large outside dimensions.
European Patent publication 0,139,574 also discloses an intracavitary ultrasound scanner means wherein work is carried out with two ultrasound transducer arrangements. The examination surfaces or planes of sections in the known apparatus are perpendicular to one another. In the known apparatus, the one ultrasound transducer is mechanically moved whereas electronic scanning is carried out with the other ultrasound transducer which is a linear array. Observation of sections on two planes perpendicular to one another enables the observer to carry out a more precise diagnosis than an examination in only a single scanning plane. Size and position of interesting objects can be more easily identified in this fashion.
As has already been mentioned an examination head of the said species should comprise an optimally small structural size.